BERLIN, 24 June
1999 - Yesterday, at 4:20 P.M, the 113 voting members of the 128
players of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra elected Sir Simon Rattle,
44, to succeed Claudio Abbado as music director and chief conductor of
the Berlin Philharmonic.

The British conductor's appointment
takes effect at the start of the 2002/2003 season for an initial
period of six years, making the Liverpool born-musician and former
chief conductor of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO)
the sixth chief conductor in the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra's
117-year history.

Although Claudio Abbado, 65, chose to
retire at the end of the 2001/2002 season as music director to persue
other interests, the Berlin orchestra confirmed nonetheless its wish
for the Italian conductor to continue to collaborate on special
projects, notably his concert series devoted to myth and literary
themes such as Prometheus, the Wanderer, Faust, Shakespeare and
Tristan und Isolde which resulted in several noteworthy recordings.

There were those who thought Daniel Barenboim, 56, had a
fighting chance before the conclave, but behind closed doors the tide
turned in favour of Sir Simon Rattle.